March of Dimes

Supporting March of Dimes

Each spring, customers and associates are invited to donate to March of Dimes, whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. In 2017 the Publix campaign raised more than $8.1 million for this amazing organization, earning us the prestigious honor as their number one fundraising team in the country.

This incredible accomplishment was made possible by our generous customers and passionate associates. We are so proud of our more than 180,000 associates across our company who give of themselves every day in our stores and communities. Our Publix family truly makes the difference, and without them, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve our stellar campaign results. And with the dedication of our associates comes the generosity of our customers. We’ve always said, we have the best customers in the industry and together, over our twenty-year relationship with March of Dimes we've raised more than $72 million, all one dollar at a time.

When the campaign comes to a close, many Publix associates lace up their walking shoes and head outside to join the organization's largest fundraiser, March for Babies. We're proud to help support an organization that makes a world of difference to so many families.

As you'll see, that includes our Publix family. Here are the stories of seven associates' brave children or relatives whose lives have been touched by March of Dimes.

Kenedie, 12 years, and Sterling, 8 years

Kenedie was born at 27 weeks, 1 day, and was given oxygen soon after birth to reduce strain on her lungs. Today, she excels in school and loves music and painting. A few years later, Sterling was born with a malformed heart and received corrective open heart surgery. Today, he’s a typical second-grader who enjoys reading and science.

Matthew, 12 years

Son of Assistant Customer Service Manager Tim Shirley
#563, Anderson, South Carolina

When Matthew was born with underdeveloped lungs, he was immediately airlifted to a larger hospital with a NICU that could better care for him. Although he still has occasional problems with asthma today, he loves playing the clarinet and is on the honor roll.

Danielle, 11 years

Danielle was born at just 25 weeks after Peggy experienced complications with her pregnancy. During her stay in the NICU, she endured laser eye surgery and received surfactant to strengthen her lungs. Today, she’s healthy and stays active in karate and Girl Scouts.

Mason, 4 years, and Nolan, 2 years

Sons of Customer Service Manager Ashley Herr
#509, Sunrise, Florida

Doctors couldn’t explain why Ashley suddenly went into labor with Mason at 27 weeks. Fortunately, he didn’t suffer major problems from his premature birth. A few years later, little brother Nolan was born with a cleft lip and palate, and he’ll have additional corrective surgeries as he grows. Today, these two boys love playing cars together.

Christopher, 7 years, and James, 5 years

Christopher was born about three weeks early and spent 10 days in the NICU. However, little brother James was born about eight weeks early and needed five weeks in the NICU so his lungs could grow and develop. Today, both boys are healthy and active — Christopher swims on a competitive team, and James enjoys playing baseball.

Kyrie, 4 years

At 26 weeks, Kyrie's mom complained of mild body pain and a headache, and was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia. When medications to lower her blood pressure didn't help, Kyrie was delivered by emergency C-section. Her doctors, nurses, and therapists used life-sustaining equipment and medicines developed from March of Dimes' research to help her overcome several life-threatening obstacles. After 203 days in the NICU, Kyrie came home with a feeding tube, and apnea and oxygen monitoring machines. Although she still has the feeding tube today, Kyrie is growing and enjoys watching popular cartoons.